Strictly speaking

11/05/2011

It's always admirable to have ambition and drive, but while it's one thing to ask your boss for more challenging work, it's entirely another to give an interview to a national tabloid, practically begging for a promotion from a rival company. Pity poor Alesha Dixon, who made a brave bid for the X Factor gig, forgetting that her BBC bosses wouldn't be too impressed...

Last week, Alesha gushed to The Sun, 'I think it's great on The X Factor that the judges get to mentor. It's much more creative. We don't do that on Strictly, we just comment. I'm into anything that enables me to use my creativity.'

An insider at the Beeb hit back saying, 'She is not the most important part of the Strictly judging line-up and the show's success does not depend on her. It is not on for Alesha to woo The X Factor. She is a judge on the biggest entertainment show on the BBC and should be proud of that - not making public pronouncements about its biggest rival. If she hadn't committed to the show immediately they were prepared to show her the door - even if she didn't get a job offer from The X Factor.'